The present invention is directed to a removable splash guard assembly for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a splash guard assembly for a vehicle that is removably mounted on a trailer hitch.
Splash guards are commonly provided on large trucks and trailers to prevent mist, rocks and mud from being thrown by the rotating tires of the truck. Smaller vehicles such as pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles also benefit from splash guards when towing a trailer. Splash guards help keep the trailer and the trailer's contents free from water mist, mud, and rocks that are picked up by the tires of the vehicle. However, many smaller vehicles are not equipped with splash guards. When a manufacturer does provide splash guards, they are often inadequate to protect the trailer and its contents.
Previous attempts to provide adequate splash protection for a vehicle such as a pick-up truck have typically involved permanently attaching splash guards to the frame, bumper, or undercarriage of the vehicle. These solutions are inadequate for use with a vehicle that only occasionally needs such splash protection.
The difficulties and problems found in past splash guard systems are overcome by providing a splash guard assembly having an attachment mechanism in the form of a collar. The collar is adapted to fit around a portion of a ball mount or receiver hitch of a trailer hitch. A generally horizontal extending structure is attached to the collar and has splash guards operationally attached to its distal ends. The generally horizontal extending structure can be an integral horizontal bar or a series of bars fixedly or adjustably disposed with respect to the collar. The generally horizontal extending structure can include bent portions allowing the splash guards to be connected to the structure at a different vertical position than that of the collar. The collar can be made of any design that allows a firm connection with the ball mount or receiver hitch.
Alternatively, the splash guard assembly can be adapted to be removably attached to the rear bumper of a vehicle. A connecting structure, preferably in the form of a horizontal plate, extends substantially orthogonally with respect to the horizontal bar. Holes are drilled into the plate that are coaxial with holes found in the step of a step-type bumper. Bolts or fasteners firmly connect the plate to the bumper. The connecting structure can be of any design that allows a firm connection with the bumper.
These and other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows.